India’s 1 GW Kurnool Solar Park on Verge of Grid Synchronization

India will tomorrow become the home of the world’s largest operational solar PV plant when the 1 GW Kurnool solar park in the state of Andhra Pradesh is fully connected to the grid.

The ultra-mega solar plant is the fruit of many developers’ labor, chiefly Indian power developer Greenko, which acquired the rights for 500 MW of capacity at the plant from SunEdison, the now-bankrupt U.S. energy development firm that won the reverse auction with a bid of INR 4.63/kWh ($0.071/kWh) in December 2015.

The remaining 500 MW of capacity was awarded to a suite of developers and EPCs, notably Adani – the Indian renewable energy giant that will this week commission the final 50 MW.

According to Mercom Capital Group, Adani “worked on a war footing” to get the project over the line. By June 28 the company had commissioned 30 MW of its 50 MW awarded capacity, and will tomorrow – July 13 – officially connect the remaining 20 MW.

The Andhra Pradesh Solar Power Corporation Private Limited (APSPCL) will then oversee the final synchronization of the various portions of capacity that make up the plant. “980 MW is already grid synchronized,” an APSPCL official told Mercom.

Other developers that have played a part in completing the Kurnool solar park include Azure Power, which was awarded 100 MW of capacity at a tariff of INR 5.12/kWh ($0.079/kWh) – the same price point as Adani – and SBG Cleantech, which has developed 350 MW at a tariff of INR 4.63/kWh ($0.07/kWh).

Both the Azure and Adani bids were won under India’s Domestic Content Requirement (DCR) category.